


The Case of Thorongil

by peredain



Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Conspiracy Theories, Gen, Historical speculation, Humor, Thorongil - Freeform, faramir is not amused, legolas being an absolute gremlin, pippin is being ridiculous and gets everybody else in on the fun too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:33:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25981396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peredain/pseuds/peredain
Summary: “I have a theory,” announced Pippin, setting down a stack of papers on the table.Gimli grumbled incoherently under his breath, staring intently at the board in front of him as Merry placed a piece triumphantly.Merry turned to Pippin, a sort of patronizing groan on his face. “Where have you been these past few days?” he asked.“In the library,” Pippin said.Merry raised an eyebrow.Or, Pippin gets into a little ill-advised historical speculation, and everybody turns out to be a little bit wrong
Relationships: Faramir (Son of Denethor II) & The Fellowship of the Ring, Pippin Took & Merry Brandybuck & Gimli (Son of Glóin), allusions to Aragorn | Estel/Denethor II, if you believe legolas anyway, the fellowship are all friends
Comments: 5
Kudos: 54





	The Case of Thorongil

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this way back in December, and finished editing it in February. My reasons for not posting it until now are as much a mystery to myself as to anybody else. Anyway, enjoy the show!

“I have a theory,” announced Pippin, setting down a stack of papers on the table.

Gimli grumbled incoherently under his breath, staring intently at the board in front of him as Merry placed a piece triumphantly.

Merry turned to Pippin, a sort of patronizing groan on his face. “Where have you been these past few days?” he asked.

“In the library,” Pippin said. 

Merry raised an eyebrow. 

“Oh, don’t look at me like that! I enjoy a good book! Besides, the excitement of the City wears off after a few months—and I’ve been here longer than you! Anyway,” he continued, “I have been investigating an interesting man by the name of Captain Thorongil, and his mysterious origins and disappearance.”

“Check!” Gimli said triumphantly. Merry shook his head and turned back to the board.

“Oh, come on!” cried Pippin. “Here, listen to this: ‘After his victory in Umbar, Thorongil declined to return to Minas Tirith, perhaps because of his rivalry with Lord Denethor, then the son of the Steward Ecthelion II.’ And here”—he pointed to another passage—”it says he disappeared into the east, and quote, ‘was last seen with his face towards the Mountains of Shadow.’”

“Probably captured by orcs,” Gimli said dismissively. “A sad end for a valiant warrior.”

Pippin shook his head. “But it doesn’t add up! Why go east in the first place? He was a renowned strategist and leader—he would know better than to go off into enemy territory alone! And,” Pippin continued, opening to another page and placing it down on the table with a  _ thump _ , “He came to Gondor from  _ Rohan _ —Why would a man from the west leave to the east?”

“No,” he declared, ”There’s got to be more to it! And that’s where  _ this _ comes in!” 

He held up a thick bundle of papers, scribbled with messy notes. “I interviewed people who were in the City at the same time, and I have constructed, with great difficulty, a full picture of the story of Thorongil.” 

Merry’s eyebrow raised a quarter-inch higher.

Heedless of his cousin’s indifference, Pippin flipped through the notes until he came to the part he wanted. 

“I wasn’t able to find much about his time in Rohan,” he said. “I couldn’t find anybody who actually knew him, and the Rohirrim don’t write down their history, so information was much harder to come by. I know he was in the service of King Thengel—that’s the one before Théoden. They don’t seem to know where he came from. He never told anyone his name or anything about his history, and he was never seen in Rohan again after he left for Gondor.”

“So he really didn’t want anybody to know who he was,” Merry said thoughtfully.

“A wise choice,” said Gimli. “Men give their true names too casually.”

“Well, Thorongil seems to agree,” Pippin said, pulling out a new paper. “I found a bit more detail about his time in Ecthelion’s service. Thorongil isn’t his real name either, and he didn’t give any more hints about where he had come from than he did in Rohan. The only description I could find of him is that he was tall and dark-haired, and he wore a symbol of a star on his cloak.”

“‘Tall and dark-haired’?” said Merry. “That could be anyone in Gondor.”

“Anyone in Gondor maybe,” said Gimli. “And yet that may be a hint! Not in all lands is dark hair common, and few of other descent would be tall in the eyes of the Dúnedain.”

“He had a rivalry of sort with Denethor,” Pippin continued, “Or rather Denethor had a rivalry with him, for approval in the eyes of the people, and of Ecthelion especially. They had a fierce argument over whether Mithrandir (or rather, Gandalf, that is) ought to be trusted—Denethor was suspicious of him, Thorongil was adamant that he was an ally of Gondor.”

“Gandalf!” said Merry. “Does he have a part in every tale?”

“Indeed!” said Pippin. “His part here is rather minor, although I wonder whether he might know more of this matter than any other—But I have seen neither hide nor hair of him these past days.”

“He’s been with Frodo, helping with his book,” said Merry. “They have been very busy—but you’re hardly one to talk, Mister ‘spent three days in the library’!”

“Well,” said Pippin, “When he finishes I shall have to speak to him. His story may be the final piece in the puzzle, as it were—Although I dare say I have a few good ideas myself!”

“And what would those be?” asked Gimli, the game forgotten for now.

“What say you to this: Thorongil, or whatever his true name is, was in truth a spy for the Enemy, and Denethor suspected him! Thus his departure into the East is explained, and the source of his secrecy revealed.” Pippin declared.

“A spy!” said Gimli, astonished. “But how can that be?” 

“If he were a spy,” said Merry, “why would he win a decisive victory for Gondor? Wouldn’t a spy want to sabotage the battle?”

“Perhaps he had tried to do so, and it had gone astray,” Pippin replied. “That would explain his reluctance to return to the City, if he thought his trickery might be revealed.”

“But what about Gandalf?” said Merry. “Why would he wish for a potential threat to the Enemy to stay in Gondor?”

“To keep an eye on him maybe,” said Gimli, “Although I doubt he was a spy. Based on his description, I think he was a Dúnadan. Perhaps he was exiled from Gondor for some offense, and wished to return to his homeland but could not do so openly, and so took on a false name and fought for his people in secret!”

“Or maybe,” said Merry, “He was the illegitimate son of Ecthelion! That would explain Denethor’s grudge against him—they were in competition for the love of their father!”

“But if that was the case,” said Pippin, “Why would he not return to the City? Surely he would want to reap the benefits of glory in battle!”

“If he was an exile, he would have known he would have to leave eventually, or risk discovery,” said Gimli. “Perhaps he wanted to be remembered as a hero rather than be revealed as a traitor.”

“Or,” said Merry “He realized that he would never be as beloved as his half-brother, and gave up on winning his father’s favor!”

“That doesn’t make sense though,” Pippin said. “Ecthelion preferred Thorongil over Denethor, not the other way around.”

“What are you three arguing about?”

All three of them looked up to see the familiar face of Legolas looking in from the hall, a bemused Faramir beside him.

“A mysterious man who fought in the Steward Ecthelion’s service many years ago,” explained Pippin. “Or maybe, a spy for the Enemy!”

“A spy who never did any spying!” cut in Gimli. “That theory holds even less water than Merry’s!”

“And how exactly does yours explain his rivalry with Denethor?” said Merry crossly.

“If this is about Thorongil,” cut in Faramir, “No, he wasn’t my grandfather’s illegitimate son, and yes, I have heard that one before.”

“Maybe,” said Legolas slowly, “He and Denethor were lovers.”

Faramir made a strange reaction halfway between a blanch and a groan.

“Perhaps they had some sort of falling out,” Legolas continued eagerly, ignoring Faramir. “Passionate love turned to passionate hate! Thorongil may have begrudged Denethor’s courtship of the Lady Finduilas!”

“That might explain his leaving so suddenly,” Pippin said doubtfully, “But it wouldn’t give him a reason to hide his identity!”

“Hmm..” said Legolas, flipping through Pippin’s notes. “Unless their falling out was  _ before _ that! Picture this: they were lovers in their youth, but they broke it off and Thorongil left Gondor! Then, years later he returned in disguise and rekindled old feelings!”

“A disguise would make more sense if he had something to lose by revealing his identity,” protested Gimli. “But ‘slighted lover’ explains Denethor’s actions better than ‘jealous brother’ anyway.”

“Would you please stop speculating on my father’s love life?” said Faramir, who looked positively mortified.

“I don’t think it does!” said Merry, ignoring Faramir. “If Thorongil were Ecthelion’s son he might try to claim the Stewardship! He could throw a wrench in the succession. Even if he wasn’t legitimate, he had Ecthelion’s favor! And that very fact would be infuriating to Denethor—as the legitimate son, to be slighted of their father’s love!”

“I assure you that is not the case, Master Meriadoc,” Faramir said. “I think if my father had a brother I would know about it.” He crossed his arms. “No, Thorongil had  _ no _ connection to my family.” He gave a stern look to Legolas, who resolutely ignored it. 

“It’s more likely,” Faramir continued a distant shimmer in his eye, “That he was a turncoat from the ranks of the Corsairs of Umbar, a Black Númenórean who repented and sought to mend the evil he had done through anonymous good deeds. After defeating the most of his former allies’ ships, he considered his debt paid and departed, choosing to forgo the honor that would be bestowed upon him in a show of humility.”

“Ooh, that’s good,” said Merry. “Still doesn’t explain his rivalry with Denethor though!”

“Sometimes people just don’t get along,” Faramir said tersely. “There doesn’t have to be more to it than that.”

“Ah, but consider!” said Legolas. “A torrid affair between a Corsair Captain and a Lord of Gondor! Rekindled when Thorongil returned to make up for his earlier deeds! Denethor wants to tell the truth about Thorongil’s origins, but doing so would reveal his own role in that mysterious past!”

Faramir glared at him.

“None of this explains Gandalf’s part in the story though,” Pippin mused.

“Explains my part in what story?”

Pippin jumped slightly, looking at the doorway. There stood Gandalf, and behind him Frodo and Sam as well.

“The story of Thorongil!” Pippin said. “I think he was a spy, but Faramir thinks he was a Corsair who had a change of heart, and Merry thinks he was Ecthelion’s son, and Gimli thinks he was an exile.”

“And I think,” began Legolas—

“He gets the picture,” Faramir said firmly.

Gandalf laughed. “I do know the story. However,” he said, a twinkle in his eye, “there may be one who can tell it better and more fully than I. I shall fetch him momentarily.”

Merry and Pippin looked at each other in confusion as he departed.

“Who do you think it is?” said Merry after a moment.

“I interviewed everybody short of Thorongil himself!” Pippin said crossly. “Who could I possible be missing?”

“You don’t suppose,” said Gimli, “that he does know Thorongil himself?”

“And can find him close at hand in the Citadel?” said Merry. “I doubt it.”

“Can someone fill us in?” Frodo asked. “Who is Thorongil?”

By the time they had finished explaining the entire situation, and the various points of their arguments, Gandalf had returned, bringing with him another person.

“Strider!” said Pippin in surprise.

“So,” said Aragorn, smiling. “I hear you have some questions for me?”

“Well,” said Merry. “We wanted to know about Thorongil, and Gandalf said you could tell us about him.”

Aragorn laughed. “So I can,” he said, sitting down and resting one foot on the other knee. “What do you want to know?”

“Where did he come from?” asked Gimli.

“Where did he go?” asked Pippin.

“Were he and Denethor lovers?” asked Legolas, ignoring Faramir’s sputtering beside him.

“Hmm,” said Aragorn, leaning back in his chair. “Where did he come from—Rivendell, originally, although he passed through other lands before he came to Gondor. As to where he went, that is a long tale, and one perhaps best saved for another time.”

Pippin began to protest, but Aragorn held up his hand. “However,” he continued, “I can tell you that now he is in the White City, and that he means to stay there for the foreseeable future.”

“What!” said Gimli. “You mean we can speak to him in person?”

“You are speaking to him,” said Aragorn, smiling. “I am Thorongil, or I was, although I have not used that name in many years.”

“Well, I was quite off the mark!” said Pippin, astonished.

“As was I!” said Gimli. “And yet that may explain Denethor’s actions. If somehow he knew who you were, he might fear you would plan to supplant him!”

“Hmm,” said Aragorn. “Well, I cannot speak to what Lord Denethor may or may not have known, but he ever distrusted me. You may indeed be correct, Gimli.”

“It does explain things,” said Faramir, his eyes narrowing in deep thought. “Still, I am slightly disappointed that I was so far from the truth—Not that you are disappointing, my king!” he said quickly. “Simply…” He trailed off, a forlorn and distant look in his eyes.

_ “He really needs a new hobby,” _ Pippin whispered to Merry.

_ “Oh like you’re any better,” _ Merry whispered back.  _ “Need I remind you of the  _ three days _ you spent on this?” _

Pippin pointedly ignored him.

“So,” said Legolas, smiling peevishly, “ _ Were _ you and Denethor lovers, then?”

Faramir’s face lost all color. 

Aragorn passed a hand over his eyes. “Legolas,” he said sternly.

“Yes?” replied Legolas. “Can I take that response as an affirmative, then?”

Aragorn gave him a look. Legolas smiled innocently.

“Oh stop!” said Sam. “Can’t you see you’re making Mister Faramir uncomfortable?”

It was true. Faramir looked as if he would rather be doing anything else.

“We will not speak of such things,” Aragorn said, with a tone of such finality even Legolas looked taken aback.

“Oh, very well,” grumbled the Elf.


End file.
